1. Field
A conductive film and an electronic device including the same are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device like a flat panel display such as LCD or LED, a touch screen panel, a solar cell, a transparent transistor, and the like include a transparent electrode (e.g., transparent conductive film). Materials for the transparent electrode may be required to have high light transmittance (e.g., greater than or equal to about 70%) in a wavelength range of 380 nanometers (nm) to 780 nm, and low sheet resistance of, for example, less than or equal to 100 ohms per square (ohm/sq) or less than or equal to 50 ohm/sq, when they form a thin film.
One of currently widely-used materials for a transparent electrode is indium tin oxide (ITO). The ITO has sufficient transmittance in a full visible light range, but has sheet resistance of greater than or equal to 100 ohm/sq prepared by a room temperature deposition process. In addition, the cost of ITO—is inevitably high due to limited resources of indium. Moreover, ITO may not be appropriate for use as an electrode in a flexible display due to excessive brittleness.
Accordingly, in order to find out an alternative for the ITO, research efforts have been undertaken to develop a conductive film using an electrically conductive layer that includes an electrically conductive nano-structures such as an electrically conductive metal mesh, an electrically conductive metal nano wire, an electrically conductive metal or metal oxide nano sheet, graphene, a carbon nanotube, and the like. However, such nano-structures tend to be easily damaged by external environmental conditions (for example, moisture, air, or various chemical materials) or an external force (for example, a mechanical stimulus), so the conductive film including the nanostructures may need a protective layer to protect the electrically conductive layer.